Passage Of Violence Against Women Act May Hinge On Key Group

Violence Against Women Act: House Republican Women Emerge As Key To Possible Action

WASHINGTON -– With time running out for Congress to take action on the Violence Against Women Act, people on both sides of the debate are honing in on a group of lawmakers who may be key: House Republican women.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), a central figure in VAWA negotiations, is holding a meeting with all House Republican women on Wednesday morning to discuss the issue, a GOP lawmaker told HuffPost on Tuesday night. Cantor spokesman Doug Heye later confirmed the meeting.

"He will update the members on where we stand and again stress the need to seek common ground across party lines to reach an agreement and pass VAWA as quickly as possible so we protect all victims of these horrendous crimes, and fully punish those who commit them," Heye said in a statement.

News of Cantor's meeting comes on a day when, across the Capitol, all 12 Senate Democratic women signed a letter to all 25 House Republican women urging them to unite as women and press House GOP leaders to take up the Senate-passed VAWA bill before Congress gavels out for the year.

"As mothers, daughters, grandmothers, and women intent on protecting the inclusive and bipartisan history of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), we are reaching out to you to ask for your help," reads the letter. "With only a matter of days remaining in the 112th Congress, we are asking that you work with your leadership to take action and finally pass the Senate's bipartisan Violence Against Women Act reauthorization. With your leadership on this issue we will resolve this matter in a way that puts the safety of all women ahead of partisan politics."